African American news blog that features news that may get little or no coverage in the mainstream media
Saturday, October 08, 2016
Condoleeza Rice Calls On Donald Trump To Drop Out Of The Race
Friday, October 07, 2016
Donald Trump still believes the ‘Central Park Five’ are guilty despite DNA evidence
It’s been 14 years since the young men known as the Central Park Five had their convictions vacated for the brutal rape and assault of a female jogger that rocked New York City in 1989, yet Donald Trump remains convinced of their guilt.
“They admitted they were guilty,” Trump told CNN this week of Antron McCray, Raymond Santana Jr., Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam and Kharey Wise, who ranged in age from 14 to 16 when they were arrested in the immediate aftermath of the attack that left the 28-year-old victim in a coma for 12 days.
The young men have long maintained their innocence and claimed that police coerced them into providing false confessions that lead to their convictions in 1990. In 2002, a convicted rapist and murderer named Matias Reyes confessed to the gruesome attack, and after an investigation by the Manhattan district attorney revealed DNA evidence linking Reyes to the victim, the Central Park Five were exonerated.
Still, the Republican presidential nominee argued, “The police doing the original investigation say they were guilty.”
“The fact that that case was settled with so much evidence against them is outrageous,” Trump told CNN. “And the woman, so badly injured, will never be the same.”
Read more: Donald Trump still believes the ‘Central Park Five’ are guilty
Thursday, October 06, 2016
Birth of a Nation headed toward 8 to 9 million dollar opening weekend
George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com
The Nat Turner biopic, Birth of a Nation starring, produced, written and directed by Nate Parker opens this weekend and if websites that report on movies are correct the movie is headed for an $8-9 million dollar opening. No doubt that the recent controversy over allegations that Parker raped a female student in 1999 while he was at Penn State and the women's later suicide has and will hurt the movies opening weekend.
The movie is being released through Fox Searchlight which also released 12 Years a Slave which had a $6.6 million opening weekend back in 2013 on it's way to a $56 million dollar gross. Like 12 Years a Slave there is Oscar buzz around Birth of a Nation. Whether that helps the film is yet to be seen. Below are predictions from three websites that predict opening weekend numbers.
Variety.com project a $8 million dollar opening:
...Fox Searchlight will open the film wide, instead of building up slow with the hopes of capturing awards attention. It will kick off in 2,100 theaters and should make $8 million.
BoxOffice.com predicts a $9.5 million dollar opening.
BoxOfficeMojo.Com projects a lower 7.7 million dollar opening weekend.
If you do the math that's an average of $8.4 million.
I am a bit more optimistic about the movies opening weekend and feel that it can open in the $12-13 million dollar range because of the following reasons:
The film has some great reviews and currently holds an 78% rating on www.rottentomatoes.com
Good word of mouth could very well drive more moviegoers to the film on Saturday.
The opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture has inspired much pride among African Americans about them and their history, this could drive some to see the film about a black historical figure.
The movie has some buzz among the black college crowd. It could be like the movie Malcolm X which was released when I was in school; it was a movie that you were just supposed to go to see if you were black.(Let's just hope that put the right movie title on the tickets this time).
So will you be going to see Birth of a Nation this weekend and how much do you think it will make?
George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com
Wednesday, October 05, 2016
Yale honors first black student James Pennington
Yale University is honoring its first black student by naming a classroom for him.
The New Haven Register reports that the school will hold a ceremony Thursday to name a divinity school classroom after James W.C. Pennington and hang his portrait in the room.
Divinity school graduate Lecia Allman led the effort to honor Pennington, who escaped slavery in Maryland in 1837. Allman says it was illegal in Connecticut then to educate African-Americans from other states, but Pennington was allowed to attend classes. He just wasn't allowed to speak, use the library or earn a degree.
Pennington later became an abolitionist and formed an organization to provide former Amistad captives an education.
Divinity School Dean Gregory Sterling says honoring Pennington "recovers part of our past that has been neglected.''
New Documentary: "Invisible Women: Being a Black Woman in Corporate America"
HNTT Productions, founded in 2016 by Melody Shere’a, is located in the heart of Oakland, California. The company creates, develops, produces and invests in film, television and documentary projects. The entertainment industry veteran possesses more than 10 years acting, print modeling and voice-over experience. She is a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Shere’a graduated from Cal State Hayward, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree, and later pursued an MBA in Finance at Holy Names University in Oakland.